Daniel hurley



(No Model.) A s sheets-sheet 21 D. HURLEY. Y

GIRGULAR KNITTINGMAGHINE. l NoY `572,679 Patented Deo. 8, 1896.

fili' 1; (mi noden.) D. HURLEY.

GIRGULAR KNITTING MACHINE. y

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. Y

Patented Deo. a, 1896*.`

Tm: onlus Pmns ca. Puma-L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL HURLEY, OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES COOPER, OFSAME PLACE.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,679, dated December8, 1896. Application lecl January 24, l895. Serial No. 536,099. (Nomodel.)

.To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL HUELEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State ofVermont, have invented certain new and useful'lmprovements in CircularKnitting Machines; and I do hereby declare lthe following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form partof this specication.

My invention relates to certain improvements in circular-knittingmachines wherein two revolving needle-cylinders, one above the other,are employed, and has for its object to simplify the driving orrevolving mechanism of the cylinders to produce a more even and steadymovement, to effect the ready and compact assembling of the parts, toprovide a vertical adjustment of the upper cylinder with relation to thelower one, to enable the varying of the length of the loop as may berequired in the operation of producing the fabric, and to soconstructthe machine as to enable the finished work to be taken up either aboveor below the cylinders; and it consists in the construction andcombination of parts hereinafter fully described, and more particularlypointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of acircular-knittin g machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is avertical section of Fig. 1 on the line x, shown in the plan view of Fig.3, with certain portions of the supporting frame and brackets and otherparts broken away.' Fi g. 3V is a plan view of the same with detachedportions of the supporting-frame shown. Fig. 4. is a detachedperspective view showing the principal gearing which drives theneedle-cylinders and a partial dotted outline of the annular gearringswhich form a part of the cylinders. Fig. 5 is a detached perspectiveview showing more especially the adjusting mechanism for the upperneedle-cylinder. Fig. 6 represents a vertical section of the old way ofarranging the needle-cylinders and the line on which the needles crosseach other. Fig. 7 is a plan View of the cam shown in Fig. 6, and Fig. Sshows a vertical section of my new arrangement of the needle-cylindersand the line on which the needles cross each other.

Like letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in each iigure ofthe drawlngs.

A represents the supporting-frame, which has brackets d at some distancebelow its upper end. These brackets may be formed separately and besecured to the frame or be cast with the frame, and are preferablyrecessed on their upper side to about one-half their thickness toreceive and support an annular bed-plate B, which is bolted or otherwisesecured thereto, as shown. lThis bedplate is also recessed in its uppersurface at b, for the purpose hereinafter described.

C represents the lower and D the upper needle-cylinders, which haveoutwardly-liaring bodies as they approach each other. The lower cylinderC is seated in a recess c of a carrying-ring E, and is secured theretoat its lower edge by means of screws. This ringE has a flange c on itsouter and upper edge, which enters the recess or seat b of the bedplateB, and on the under side of the ring there is an annular gear F, whichhas in its upper inner side a recess or seat f, which receives a pendentflange d, located on the inner edge of the ring E, and this gear issecured to the ring by means of screws from beneath, and thus thecylinder C, the annular ring E, and the gear F are rigidly unitedtogether.

Near the upper end of the frame A there are attached adjustable bracketsJ, which are recessed on their under side to receive a capplate I, whichis rigidly connected to the brackets by means of screws k. The innerupper portion of the cap-plate is recessed at n tovreceive a flange o onthe outer and upper edge of the ring H, and this ring is held in itsseat as against upward `displacement by means of a button K, secured tothe top of the cap-plate I and extending over the ring. On the underside of the ring, at its inner edge, there is a downwardly-projectingBange Z, which enters a recess m in the upper inner edge of an annulargear G, which is secured to the ring by means of screws j,

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and in a recess g on the under side of the annular gear the upperneedle-cylinder D is rigidly secured by means of screws t', and thus theupper needle-cylinder D, the annular gear Gr, and the ring I-I are, likethe lower cylinder, firmly secured together and greatly simplified intheir construction.

The upper and lower cylinders are provided with the ordinary needles h,arranged, as usual, in grooves in the' cylinders, as shown, and Lrepresents cams for actuating the needles on the upper cylinder, whichare secured to hanging brackets attached to the under side of thecap-plate I, and M refers to the cams for actuating the needles on thelower cylinder, and these cams are secured to brackets N, which areattached to the bed-plate B.

In connection with the needles h there is used also the ordinary threador yarn guide O and sinker-wheel P, jointly supported by an adjustablebracket p, attached to the bedplate B, and stationary and revolvingpressers Q and R, the former presser being supported upon the bed-plateby a verticallyadjustable standard q and the latter being suspended fromthe cap-plate I by avertically adjustable bracket r, the functions ofall of which part-s are well understood by those familiar with the art,and as they are common to machines of this class further explanation ofthem herein is deemed unnecessary.

S represents an upright shaft extending from below to above theneedle-cylinders and is journaled in a bracket T, supported upon andrigidly secured to the bed-plate B by screws or other well-known means.This bracket is provided with an upper and lower bearing t for thepurpose of holding the shaft in an even and true position relative tothe other parts of the operative mechanism. On the upper end of theshaft there is a spurgears, having a hub on its l'ower side resting uponthe upper bearing of the bracket T, and this gear is rigidly secured tothe journal by a screw or by other well-known means and meshes with theannular gear G and revolves the upper needle-cylinder, while a likespurgear s/ is attached to the shaft S below the bed-plate B and mesheswith the annular gear F and revolves the lower needle-cylinder C.

The lower spur-gear s' rests upon the upwardly-projecting hub of abeveled gear U, secured to the lower end of the shaft S, and thisbeveled gear meshes with another like gear u, secured to a shaft V,which is held in a bracket U, supported upon the frame A. This shaft Vis provided with an ordinary belt-wheel outside the frame, or othermeans for communicating power, whereby both the upper and lowercylinders C and D are revolved simultaneously with power applieddirectly to each from the same vertical shaft, and thus subject lessstrain upon the gearing and produce more evenly-revolving cylinders thanwhen all the power is applied to one cylinder for a like purpose.

Brackets J are secured to the frame A near its upper end by means ofscrews or bolts Y,

attached to the bracket and adjusted up or down, as desired, in theslots y in the supporting-frame A, and have beneath them adjustin g jack-screws W, arranged in pairs and seated in screw heads or nuts 0c ofbolts X, which are screwed into or otherwise rigidly attached to theframe A and are provided on their lower ends, beneath the screw-heads,with jamnuts w. These jack-screws are adapted to be screwed up tosupport the under side of the bracket J after it has been adjusted andto be secured in a fixed position by means of the jam-nuts, which arescrewed up to the screw-heads of bolts X. By this means of adjustment itwill be seen that the needle-cylinders can be separated or broughtnearer together and evenly adjusted, as may be required, in varying thelength of the loops in the operation of producing the fabrics, thesupporting-brackets of the sinker-wheel and the stationary and revolvingpressers being, as previously described, adjustable to accommodate themto the adjustment of the needlecylinders.

In Fig. G I have represented the old way in which conicalneedle-cylinders are arranged, with a space between them, the lowercylinder C being slightly smaller than the upper one D and in this casehaving its needlegrooves c at the same angle with grooves cZ/ in thelower outer edge of the upper cylinder, so that the lower needlestraverse both sets of grooves. By this arrangement of the cylinders theneedles working in the grooves above and below will cross each other ona line with the upper edge of the space between the cylinders, so thatwhen the loops are being formed on the needles of the upper cylinder itbecomes necessary that the needles of the lower cylinder be pushedoutward that the loops previously formed can be cast O, and this is doneby means of an adjustable cam C' on a stationary arm D on the inside ofthe cylinder, or by some other equivalent device, in most cases whereconical cylinders adjacent to each other and spring-needles have beenused.

In all cases where the cylinders are constructed so that the needleswill cross each other at the upper or lower edge of the space betweenthem the cam C is required to be adjusted near the edge of the cylinderon the opposite side of the space from where the needles cross, soA thatthe finished work, as it is cast off from the needles, can pass withinthe cylinders between the end of the cam and the point where the needlescross and. be taken up. As illustrated in Fig. 6, it is clearly shownthat by such a construction the finished work c will pass into thecylinder above the cam C and be taken up above the cylinders, though thecylinders may be reversed in another machine, so thatthe finished workmay pass under the end of the cam C and down through the lower cylinderto the takeup below.

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It is clearly evident, then, that machines constructed prior to myinvention have not been so arranged that in any one machine the finishedwork can pass to the take-up either above or below the cylinders afterpassing in between them, as the circumstances of the case may demand, aswhen the ceiling is very low in the room in which the machineis operatedand there not being room above the machine the finished work can belowered to a take-up below, or when the ceiling is high in the room thefinished work can pass to a take-up above the cylinders, which ispreferable, as then the work is preserved without soiling and is alwaysin view of the operator.

The object of my particular construction and arrangement of conicalneedle-cylinders is to remedy the difficulty heretofore experienced innot being able in the same machine to adjust the parts so that thefinished work l can pass to the take-up from the interior of thecylinders to either above or below the cylinders, and to this end Fig. 8represents my improved conical cylinders, each of which is of the sameform and size, and the upper one adj usted above the lower one by meansof the brackets J, leaving the ordinary space between their adjacentends. In this arrangement of parts the needles of each cylinder areconfined to their own separate grooves and must necessarily cross eachother at h in the center of the space between the cylinders,4 as isclearly indicated in the drawings, and the loops formed on the needlesare cast off by means of the cams and pressers, as hereinbeforedescribed, and shown in Fig. l, and the stationary arm D and adjustablecam C' thereon for pushing the needles outward, as shown inv Fig. 6, aredispensed with, leaving the interior space of the cylinders unobstructedto enable the finished work to extend up through the center of thecylinder to the take-up above, as indicated in the sectionline b', or tobe let down through the lower cylinder to the take-up below, asindicated by dotted lines f. In order that the finished work in passingfrom the needles to the takeup may not be injured, the opposing edges ofthe needle-cylinders are rounded on their inner faces, as indicated inFig. 8, thereby presentin g a smooth surface over which the work maypass as it leaves the needles in being taken up above or below thecylinders.

As shown in Fig. 2, a bracket z' is seated within a recess in thecarrying-rin g E in the ried by and revolved within the cap and bed'plates, upper and lower needle-cylinders connected to thesupporting-ring to revolve therewith, gear-rings also connected to saidsupporting-ring, and suitable gearing to impart uniform movement to bothcylinders, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a circular-knitting machine, the combination with stationarybrackets on which the lower needle-cylinder is supported, ofvertically-adj ustable brackets to which the upper needle-cylinder isconnected, screw heads or nuts secured Vto a xed portion of the frame ofthe machine, and jack-screws working in said nuts and engaging the underside of the adjustable brackets, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a circular-knitting machine, the combination of vertical standardsprovided with slots near their upper ends, stationary brackets on saidstandards below said slots, a lower needle-cylinder supported by saidstationary brackets, adjustable brackets connected to said standards bysuitable devices passing through said slots and upper needle-cylindersupported by said adjustable brackets, screw heads or nuts secured tothe standards below said slots, and jack-screws working in said screwheads or nuts and engaging the under sides of the adjustable bracketswhereby the upper needle-cylinders are vertically adjusted, as and forthe purpose set forth.

4. In a circular-knitting machine, the combination with twooppositely-arranged conical needle-cylinders of the same size and formsupported on the main frame, said cylinders having a space between theiropposing edges and said edges being` rounded on their in ner surfaces,each of said cylinders having formed in its periphery a series ofgrooves for thereception of needles, a series of needles supported insaid grooves and crossing each other on a line midway of the spacebetween the cylinders whereby the finished work may be taken upwardly ordownwardly from the needles, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a circular-knitting machine, the combination with twooppositely-arranged conical needle-cylinders of the same size and form,supported on the main frame having a space between their opposing edgeswhich are rounded on their inner faces, a series of needles in groovesin the periphery of said cylinders,

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the needles of the respective Cylinders orossbelow the cylinders, as andfor the purpose ing each other on a line midway of the space set forth.1o between the cylinders whereby the finished In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature work may be taken upwardly or downwardly in presenceof two witnesses.

5 within the cylinders, of an interchangeable DANIEL HURLEY.

bracket within the Cylinders adapted to be sev XVtnesses: cured to theupper or lower cylinder for hold- JAMES HAYES,

ing a rod for operating; the take-up above or FRANK HERVEY.

